The Prodigy
by 83hq
Summary: A young college student leaves her apartment during Gotham's totalitarian state under Bane's control, and gets into various conflicts with some of the characters that we know from the dark knight rises.
1. Silence

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Chapter I.

Jen and I woke to a sudden noise. I don't know why but we could never get used to the sound of screams yet. I wanted to go out rather than staying in here, but I knew it wasn't for the best. Still, I felt so weak so helpless. Being locked in here was exactly what they wanted, what he wanted…the man with the mask…not batman, never batman. He left us and though all of us pretended like he was some piece of shit vigilante that killed all the men, some of us knew better. I did at least.

I get up to look at Jen to see if she's all right. She's sweating, profusely. She started out with a cold and then got worse. It was probably due to the fact that it was now November and we've been stuck without heat for the last two months. Jen doesn't say a word…she just ignores me as usual when she didn't feel like talking. Still she's my roommate, so it's in the rulebook that I don't listen to what she wants. I need to get food and medicine.

We had both lost weight from the current situation. Everybody was all out of sorts. But I kept exercising and staying in shape. When Jen was feeling better a month or two ago she showed me some self-defense moves that Selina her yoga instructor or maybe her drug dealer showed her. Although I never believed Jen was into drugs. I just thought it was strange she went for yoga six days a week for the last two years. I knew better though.

I pick up all my blankets and put them on Jen. "You're not going, you don't know the streets like I do" she says. It feels more like an insult than a warning, even though her tone insisted otherwise. "I know I grew up in the suburbs so obviously I can't handle myself" I say sarcastically. It pissed me off how she thought she was so much better by herself yet how come she came home with so many black eyes? Anyways I needed to get out not just for her for me too. And I wasn't going to give into her stubbornness. She's my friend who's sick, the market was just a block away and I know there's medicine there. Other people in our dorms had gone out and got ibuprofen.

Jen sat up now as I finished putting on my boots. "You look like you're ready for war" she says, insultingly. "Like you said I don't know the streets like you do…I have to be prepared" I say…my sarcasm no longer has limits, not in this shit hole city. When I look in the mirror, I really do look ready for war. I had my black boots on, dark jeans, and a long dingy looking trench coat-I didn't want to wear my nice coat on the streets I might not get it back or it may cost me my life.

I felt like I was out of some steampunk post-apocalyptic anime. Who am I kidding; I really am in a steampunk post-apocalyptic anime. The streets have very few people and the city is swarmed with the most advance army tanks I have ever seen. It was just like batman's car except now there were six going up and down the street. I also saw online how they said there was a reactor bomb that may explode but I wasn't sure how true that was. All considering it was amazing the internet was working. If it wasn't I may have considered obscurity in my closet.

"Jamie" Jen says my name which usually meant she was serious. I would have preferred her to say sweetie or honey like she usually did but whenever it she said my name it was rare and I knew she was scared. "Im 25 and you're only 23…I know two years doesn't seem like a lot but I've lived here my whole life…you lived here less than a year in GU…you have no idea what the city is like right now" she tells me like she's my mother. She starts to continue but then starts coughing really bad and then gagging. I quickly brought the garbage over and held her blonde hair. She threw up only a little due to the little food we ate to conserve the small amount that was left.

"Jen look I know you see me as a sister but I need to go I'll be fine" I tell her. Though she would never admit how she felt about me. Jen sighed and then turned over on her side. "Well if you die can't say I didn't warn you" She says, which was as close as I would get to good luck or be careful. Jen had a hard secretive side that I never really understood. It kind of made me angry that she couldn't trust me enough. "I know" I say, annoyed. "Bye" I say but she doesn't say it back. I closed the door.

I looked in the hallway, which seemed so eerie. It was dark and I didn't see my dorm monitor who tried to keep us in the dorms. I actually didn't see anyone. I walked down the hall and down the stairs. The elevators were turned off as a safety precaution. I checked my phone to make sure it was working and it was. I'm prepared to do this…so what if you heard screams five minutes ago.

As I get further down I start to feel more cold air. New York was freezing around this time of year. As I get down to the rec room it's even more eerie. Chairs are knocked over, there's dried blood on the walls and papers are scattered everywhere.

I notice a knife sticking in the ground. I suddenly realize I didn't bring a weapon. I can't believe I forgot a weapon. Maybe Jen was right, maybe I wasn't ready. Relax I tell myself, you'll be fine. I pull the knife up from the wooden floor and put it on the inside pocket of my coat. It's time like this I really question if I'm really ready to face such challenges. If Jen found out I forgot a weapon I wouldn't heard the end of it. At least I have one now.

Looking out through the glass windows I immediately knew my life would be in jeopardy but I'm hungry and so is Jen. Jen is sick, I can't be a coward and let it pass her by. I take a deep breath and walk out through the big double glass doors.

Stepping out on the pavement of the shit hole I call Gotham, it's like a ghost town. No one's here…not even the tanks. I walk start to walk to the store and I start to notice the horrors. Broken windows, dried blood is everywhere, and everybody is broken. I just think to myself if I only could be like batman. If I could only hold such a power to be the faith of Gotham. It would never subdue, I'm only me only 5'3 with no way to ever harness the same power as them. I only have my intellect which even that wasn't strong enough for what we were facing.

I felt so cold and alone like there was nothing here but me. It was scarier this way. I would have preferred to have the terrorist with me. At least if I saw them in site I would have a clue of where they are, but right now they could be anywhere and I wouldn't know.

I try to double-back as often as possible without trying to be paranoid. It's not paranoia if people are really out to get you, Jen would say. I look from side to side so often that I am almost dizzy. No I will not become one of those stupid girls who goes missing because I wasn't observant enough. I finally reach the corner of the block and then make a right down the street. I look down to see another dead street.

It started to snow which made this whole experience more eerie than it was peaceful. Snow covered things and made it easier for people to hide. I'm still able to see broken windows everywhere, but I can't really see if there's blood. I know it's there though.

Luckily the market is open but I'm reluctant. I wasn't quite sure if it would be but then how did my floormates get food? When I walk in, there's a man holding a shotgun with a mask. My heart starts beating fast and I looked around quickly to see if there was any food there was none. This was not good.

There was an older Chinese woman who was frantic in the store. I looked back at the man holding the gun. Stay calm I told myself. Staying calm lasted a minute until I heard the door slam shut behind me. There were two men with machine guns and ski masks. Why couldn't anyone show their damn faces in this city? Even batman could show his face who would honestly care or do anything.

"What do you want?" The man I was staring at asked, in a tone that was warning me. I decide to try to play stupid. The dumber people think you are the more they underestimate you, at least so I've thought. "I just need to get food and medicine for my friend she's sick" I say, making my voice sound higher. Some people thought I looked way younger than my age. Saying friend instead of roommate would make them to believe I was younger. Saying medicine instead of antibiotics would make me seem naïve. It was a long shot but I figure it could work. Still, I kept asking myself how my floor mates got so much food.

The man eyed me up and down and then walked forward. I could feel that the other one was close behind me. Don't freak out just yet…they haven't done anything, I kept saying. The store clerk was behind the pharmacy counter, kept her composure but she was shaking. The man came up so that we were only and inch apart. I looked up at those cold merciless eyes that I wanted to gauge out. My heart kept racing, I needed to get prepared. The man smiles through his mask and gets close to me. The other one holds me back. "Do you have any weed?" he asked.

Weed of course, most my floor mates got high off cannabis. They were exchanging it for food. Except where was the food? "No I don't" I say trying to sound ingenuous. I don't want them to think I am scared, even though my heart keeps racing through anticipation. He looks down at my legs and then back up. "You could give me something else" he says. "I have aids" I say quickly. I could be a very good liar, but these were the streets and I wasn't quite sure how they would take it. It could have very well been true, even though my skin was tan I looked very pale and sickly, even though I felt fine. Still I was really banking on them being dumb.

The man looked at me up and down again. "You think were dumb?" he smiled. I could have lied but I was quite honestly getting sick of this shit. "well… Yea" I answer, even though I feel like I'm about to have a heart attack.

He instinctively retracts his arm back ready to punch me but I dip in the last moment which caused him to punch the guy holding on to me. The man still manages to get a grip but loses his footing, which gives me a sudden advantage. I hop up locking my arms with the man holding, with both legs I lock the other man's arm. I turn it them quickly and I hear a crack. The man cries in pain, which cuts the other guy off guard he lets go of one my arms. I manage to turn my torso and elbow the other guy holding me as hard as I could in the gut with my free arm. He lets go which gives me enough time to escape. I need to get out before I have to kill them. I wasn't ready for that. After all this was only my first fight.

I immediately run out of the store. I needed to get away and try to find a market that thugs didn't control. It didn't make any sense though; it wasn't like we were in that horrible of an area. Who am I kidding, this is a fucking warzone. I run through the snow, I could outrun them. The one in back of me was out of shape and the other guy he was about my size. Not only that, I'm pretty sure the weed would slow them down. Seeing as their eyes were red, they probably had some at least a few hours ago.


	2. Happiness

Chapter II.

I keep running until I finally outrun them. The snow finally starts to slow down and I'm not so cold anymore seeing as I just sprinted five blocks. When I start to walk my normal stance I realize there is someone close by. I don't understand, I sprinted faster than the both of them. I turn around quickly to see a man who was about a few years older than me, alone. He seemed innocuous but my perception was off lately and I needed to be careful.

When I look at him, we stare at each other. I quickly turn around and try to ignore him. I walk faster. "Wait!" he yells. I start to run but he's quick and catches up to me grabbing my arm. I quickly turn around and use the arm he just grabbed to grab his arm. I use my elbow to hit him in the face. Then I grab his shoulder and knee him. I try to run away but he's recuperates fast despite the fact I just hit him and he pushes me against the side of the building. I try to punch him put he catches both my hands pinning me to the building. "Hey look I'm not trying to hurt you" he yells at me. I somehow manage to wiggle my one hand free and push him off me but he still manages to hold on to my other arm. "Then stay off me!" I raise my voice.

"I'm sorry but what are you doing out here alone?" he asks with a big Gotham accent. His eyes seemed pretty genuine, so I wasn't sure if I should continue to fight him or not. "I needed to get food for my friend and me" I say trying to not be angry, but I was livid. I look over to my arm being held and he lets go immediately. "Look I didn't mean to scare you but you shouldn't be out here alone" he says in a nice tone. "Thanks but I think I can handle my own" I say. I know it sounded cliché but after fighting and running, it was the best I could come up with.

The guy laughed at me. "What you don't think so?" I asked him. "I'm pretty sure you can…" "Then why were you laughing?" I ask sarcastically, again no limits. He can't answer. "Yea I know, it is pretty funny, thanks but hey were all going to die anyways so why does it matter if someone kills me now or later" I say sarcastically. "What do you mean?" he's confused. "Look I got to go by the time I get back it's going to get dark and I need to get some food" I tell him.

"hey I didn't mean to insult you, you definitely know what you are doing.." he touches his lip, where I punched him. "I'm sorry I just thought you were trying to kill me, I already had a run in today" I say like it's no big deal. "Yea I saw you running…you alright?" he asks sounding concerned. "yea I'm fine but I really need to go" I say. My head was starting to feel dizzy and I really needed some food. I also forgot to eat this morning. The man seemed to notice. "Okay, look why don't I at least walk with you?" he says. He sort of getting on my nerves, I can protect myself. "Fine" I said trying not to sound pissed, because I knew he just wanted to make sure I was okay on the other hand I felt weak.

We started to walk toward the highways. It started to snow pretty badly. "So what's your name?" he asked me. "Jamie" I say. Normally I would have lied but for some reason I trusted him. I kind of got the feeling he didn't trust me completely yet. Before I can ask what his is he already answers. "John" he holds out a hand. I shake it but try to remain pretty apathetic. "So you never answered my question why do you think the man with the mask will kill us?" he asked. "He's just torturing us, making us believe we have the power to save ourselves but he's going to blow this city to the ground" I say. John didn't say anything to that, he just looked at me with hurt eyes but looking into his eyes I knew he thought the same.

"Well do you still have faith that you know he'll come back?" John asked. I stop thinking about it. Who the hell was this guy? Some sort of pastor. He was talking about batman though. "No I don't" I say shortly. "I have faith" he retorts. "Good for you" I say shortly again. I think he sort of kind of understood that I didn't want to talk about this so he switched the subject. "So do you like meal bars?" he asked. I laughed, not at his question but how quickly he turned the subject from death and destruction. "what?" he laughed too not knowing why he was laughing. "No I just love how quickly you changed the subject from doom to what do you like to eat? Guess that's normal in Gotham these days" I continue to laugh. It was rather funny how one minute we can talk about our doom the next we would talk about something completely different.

He smiled at me. "Yea I guess so, so um I have a meal bar do you want it?" he asked nicely. "No, You should keep it food is pretty scarce these days on the island" I try to be polite enough. "Really it's no problem…why haven't you guys been getting food?" he asked me sounding very worried, like how my ex-boyfriend used to sound. "Well up until a couple weeks ago my roommate had gone out for us and would get increments, still we have to ration there's not enough to go around" I tell him. He handed me the bar. "I don't-" I started to say but then was cut off by my stomach growling. He smiled again, "You should eat something". "Fine" I say again slightly annoyed but then again he was only trying to be nice.

I inspected the bar package to make sure there was nothing strange looking. The bar was completely sealed. Though my instincts told me to trust him I still had to be careful. After all I could be wrong, but if he wanted me dead, then why did he let me go? I think he noticed my squandering. "It's okay Its not poison, I'm a cop" He which he whispers to me. He quickly shows me his badge and puts it away. He had to have trusted me now, and at least now I trusted him enough, except I just realized I hit a cop twice. "Oh shit" I say out loud. "I'm-"before I could finish I realize he's laughing. "Sorry? It's okay I know what it's like being on your own, you were right to hit me" he said. I smile; well at least I wasn't getting arrested for assault. I wondered what he meant that he knew what it's like being on your own. I wanted to ask him to elaborate but maybe it was too personal of a question. He touched his lip again. "You could've been a little bit nicer, though" he joked. I laughed, "But it's so overrated".

"I second that" He laughs again. We walk for a little bit in silence, when suddenly I realize he's staring at me. Not in a weird way but a concerned way. "So how old are you?" he comes out, it seems like a question that was beckoning him. I look at him wondering if I should tell him or not, he didn't seem like the crooked cop type but I could never be too careful. I rolled my eyes at myself, I was being paranoid. "I'm twenty three, I go to GU" I explain. He stopped for a moment. "What's wrong?" I asked him quickly, for some reason I cared. "Nothing, you looked younger" he said quickly. I smiled, because for some reason I think he likes me. "I'm sorry to disappoint you" I retort jokingly. "No I didn't mean-" I cut him off. "It's okay I get that a lot, how old are you?" I ask. "Twenty six" he smiles. That's good at least he's within my age range.

So I had to admit, I kind of liked him. Although he was protective, I guess that was natural for cop and I couldn't really get mad when guys acted like that. It was just irritating, here I was having two black belts and people were still worried. It was sort of cute how he acted but I wasn't completely sure if he liked me or not.

All of sudden, we heard gun shots. John immediately pushed me into an alleyway and put his arms around me. We heard a few screams and car going by with people shouting. When he finally thought it was clear, he looked to see if I was okay while still holding me. "You okay" he said breathing heavily. "I'm fine" I say calmly. He put his hand gently under my chin, checking to see if I had been hit. "I'm really okay" I say again. He looks back to see if anyone's coming and then looks back at me.

Then he kissed me. It wasn't long, only brief but it was very sweet; He probably didn't want to scare me. "I'm sorry" he said sounding as if he did something wrong. "I'm not" I smile but he doesn't look happy. "I just wanted to do that just in case if I never get another chance" he said. I didn't want to say we probably never would. "Look I-"before I could finish what I wanted to say, a man runs by shooting at someone.

John gives me a look. "Stay here, I'll be back" He says as he puts my hair behind my ear. He kisses me again quickly and then ran out after the man who was shooting. And I was the one who shouldn't be out here alone. "John!" I yell. I go ignoring his order to look out but no one was there. He was gone.

I waited fifteen minutes for him. Each minute was more painful than the last. I know if I left I would probably never find him. Gran it he was a cop, but a cop named John. Since there were over a thousand cops in Gotham, I would never see him again. Probably for the best, we were all going to die and I already accepted never seeing my family again. All I could do now was go get Jen some food and antibiotics. Then maybe going exploring the broken in homes with her and drink a toast, when our end came. Yet walking away from where he left me seemed so hard. He was a little piece of happiness but at the same time it made me sadder, thinking of what could have been between him and I. I take a deep breath and walk forward.


	3. Audacious

Chapter III.

I walk about another five blocks where John had left me. I'm alone again and I realize I'm by a highway exit, that I used to walk by with Jen. We would be able to look down at the traffic below since the exit was on a higher level than the underground traffic; there was a sidewalk and a railway that allowed us to do so. Jen said she came here once when she was a teenager, batman was seen going through here on his motorcycle, but all she saw was the aftermath; a bunch of car crashes. It wasn't his fault it was the joker's, the real reason batman never came back. I was still living in upstate New York but everyone knew who he was. Gotham though the worst part of our state and possibly our country was still one of the most important parts of our country. Batman up until eight years ago was up to the job of saving it.

Only four lanes away, I start to advance towards the sidewalk on the exit. I was only about ten feet away when, I heard something coming…something big and it was heading toward me fast. I immediately tried to run and hide but I am stop when a car pulls out in front of me. I look down the street and see an army tank coming toward us. Terrorist… the army tanks weren't the US army and all the men in the car were street thugs with machine guns, and I was surrounded. Why exactly am I surrounded, I think silently? I mean don't they want the police? And any normal person would think I was about sixteen since I looked so young. I'm sure I wasn't part of the man in the mask big master plan.

The tank stops and my heart starts pounding. Maybe they'll leave me alone, I think. I mean after all don't they need to find the police? The leader of the group, a smaller stature man with a scared face and with a natural grim look gets out. He still towered over me even though he was short. His eyes were not red though, and these thugs were all business so I may not be able to outrun them. But fighting them was still possible, even though I just had my first fight about half an hour ago. If you're going to get into a fight, why not get into one with five trained men holding machine guns? Yep I'll risk it.

"Who are you?" the man asked me. I've never been asked who are you, so I wasn't quite sure how to answer. I just knew they weren't really asking for my name. "No one" I say nonchalantly. The man doesn't look satisfied. "Look…my friend has cancer and I needed to go get some pain reliever" I say. Poor Jen she was the subject of my lie first sick, now she was dying…only it really made me worry that there was something more seriously wrong. If there is a god I hope that comment doesn't come back to bite me in the ass. Afterall, she had been sick for a couple weeks now but she had a high tolerance for pain as those mysterious black eyes would suggest. The solemn skinny man looks at me but doesn't seem to feel for my friend dying of cancer story. I thought he would care a little bit even if he was just another terrorist. But some of them were psychopaths. This man was definitely in the range. "How old are you?" the man asks me. I think long and hard but not too long about what I want to say. "Fifteen, my friend is staying with me and my dad I haven't seen" I say, trying to sound ingenuous again. The man looks at me up and down.

"We need to get back soon, the boss will get pissed" a man says who pops up from the tank. He was about the same size as the man staring me down but with longer hair and more disgusting looking. I wondered who their boss was. I knew who he was, but no one knew his name just that face. The man didn't take his eyes off me, he just put up a hand to wave his friend down. "Get out of here if we see you on the road again will rape and kill you" he threatened me.

I've always wondered what it would be like to get threatened. I wondered if I would be the one to say something back or the one to just take it. A threat like that was well not as terrifying as I thought it would be. It was just words, but at the same time I wasn't stupid; I knew this prick meant what he said. And they could have just raped and killed me right there…

"Fine" I say with an attitude but with a tone to let them know if they tried to touch me it wouldn't be that easy. I turn around and begin to walk away when suddenly I see them. The high bastards that were chasing after me, caught up. They were five feet away. The one was holding his arm still. I smiled for a brief moment but I knew I wasn't going to walk my way out. Why the hell are these men that persistent? I mean I thought even henchmen didn't try that hard…they got high off weed. Why all of sudden was everything not in my favor? Had I seriously underestimated them? The answer was yes I did, I should have never stopped running.

"Is this the one?" the overweight guy that I elbowed asked. I guess he never got a good look at my face. "yes! That's the cunt….Ah!" The shorter skinnier guy shouts, I look over to see his arm broken. I smile again when he screams. The leader the man holding a machine gun drops it and looks at me up and down. My heart starts beating again but I tell myself to stay calm. The other guys start to get out of the vehicle. The guy with the long hair gets out. I'm not completely surrounded, I tell myself. I can get out of this shit. I needed to jump over the railing. Seven feet was a long way down but if I was lucky a stopped car was there.

There were seven of them. Seven trained professionals. What…the….fuck is all I could ask myself. Even if this was batman I'm sure it would take some time. You have your intellect…and I knew how to fight somewhat. I was being trained in krav maga and ba gua zhang. Now I had to apply this in real life, with guys who probably got into more fights than I did and were bigger than me.

I back up slowly, with all of them following me. "You're going to be a good time" one of them smiles and licks his lips. They're all smiling now and insulting me. I finally make it to the railing and I look down on the lower level to find a two story bus which cuts my length in half. Four feet, I could make it without injure. I put my hands on the railing. "You're going to be good practice" I say as I just feel the railing. I smile at them to which they're all confused. Maybe all the other victims felt like they didn't have control.

I quickly push over the railing and…. land perfectly on top of the two tiered bus. Why or how the two tiered bus crashed into the tunnel was beyond me but there it was my salvation. There no injuries yet, which made me smile again. My minor victory is short lived when they all come after me. I needed to think fast. I know I couldn't fight them at once and I wouldn't be able to outrun them. But I know I can fight them two at a time and on a leveled ground.

"GET HER!" I hear them say. Shit! I start running on the top of the bus but one of them hops over and quickly catches up to me by grabbing my arm. My hearts racing and I quickly turn around and get ahold of his arm with my arm he just grabbed. I quickly get behind him and somehow get my feet just right to throw him off and push my other arm towards his stomach and I get ahold of his left arm, allowing me to push him down. The force is not enough to keep him down. He gets back up and tries to swing at me but I duck and kick him in his knee and then his groin. He falls hitting the pavement. I hear a crack and a groan. At least that one didn't have any shit to say, not that he would anymore.

The rest had finally caught up to me. "Come on you pretty cunt!" They taunted. "Pretty cunt?" They said, maybe my estimation was just right about their mental faculties but their physical strength together still far exceeded mine. They started climbing up. "You two get in the front so she can't escape! I look over to find three guys trying to climb up. On the side nearest to the railing the guy with the long gross hair goes over to his friend who is lying on the pavement. " YOU BITCH!" He yells. "No but I'm real cunt remember" I say, taunting them back.

I knew one thing I needed to get off this bus and fast. Suddenly I remembered, I had a knife in my coat pocket. Quickly I felt for it in my coat pocket and pulled it out. I looked over the front of the bus to find the two high ones. Four is better than six I say. I had to wait. I would wait till the other three got to the top and then attack. I had to be perfect.

"We'll get this bitch" I heard the fat one say. Finally I looked over and saw two of them start to climb on top. Quickly I plunged on the fat guy's head making us both fall. I stabbed him in both his shoulders cutting his brachial plexus and other nerves to his arms. "You've got me" I say coldly. The small skinnier one whose arm I broke runs after me with a knife. "You bitch!" he screams. I do a backward roll as he tries to stab after me but when he tries again, I am able to get up and grab the blade which I feel bury into my flesh. I let out a slight scream but ignore the pain as I slice his other arm as I hold it up. I turn his arm an awkward way which makes him fall toward the ground. Then I kick him in the face. Four more I tell myself and they're coming.

"She's in the front!" I hear them. Then one of the guys on top jumps on top of me, and punches me in the face. My first real punch which hurt but also kept me fired. I elbowed him twice and then kneed him in the crotch. That still wasn't enough, this one was more difficult. I immediately got my legs around his neck and put all my strength into squeezing it. He tried to get my legs unwound but I stab him in his arm. He tries to go for my knife but I turn my legs and force him to the ground. Finally he passes out.

Three more. I get up to see the other two but I have no idea where the third one was. These two were going to be hard. It's the scarred face leader and another built looking man. I've come this far I can't stop. The scarred guy comes after me with a knife. Though my krav maga training would tell me to leave, I knew I couldn't make it out alive running away even if they had knives. I grabbed the scarred man's arm that he tries to cut me with and stab his arm; he turns and hits me in my back with his good arm. It hurts but I don't scream; I get angrier. The other guy comes after me with his fist. I'm fighting two guys at once. Batman made it look so easy. It was more a pain in the ass.

The bigger guy attempted to punch me. Once I ducked I had to regain my posture and protect myself from the other man's hook, then I would have to protect myself from the bigger guys hook. Although in a strange way I was sort of enjoying the fact that these two powerful men were completely unsuccessful so far. I need to stay focused and forget about my enjoyment. The moment I underestimated them would be the moment that they win and I couldn't let that happen.

I duck and try to grab ahold of the other guy's arm but he' strong. I would consider him "the muscle" of the group. Finally the scarred one grabs onto my arm forcing me to drop my knife I turn around and elbow his face right in his nose. Then I do a backwards elbow jab, and I heard a crunching nose. "Arggg!" I hear. He backs off which gives me enough time to fight the other one. I tried to stay on angle to them but when you're fighting two people it was sort of hard.

This guy was trained, the built one. He blocked all my blows and it hurt each time. "C'mon cunt!" He yelled. "Shouldn't this be easy for you?" I asked taunting him. He comes after me with angry punch which gives me enough advantage. I come forward and duck grabbing his ankle, and then once I get my balance behind him and throw his off, I take my other arm and throw him off. I make him fall but it's not enough. I look over to see the knife, then back to him. I quickly pick up the knife and then jump down on top of him to keep him down. He immediately starts punching me on my side and it kills but I have him on the ground and though I was about 110 pounds it was more than enough. I stab him three times. Not enough to kill him but more than the others since he's bigger.

I get up and look around everybody's down or they're hurt. I don't think I killed anyone. The scarred one is still holding his nose. He gets up ad makes a poor attempt to punch me but I block it and kick him on the ground. I start walking back holding my side and my back but then I realize I'm missing someone, the guy with the long hair.

I turn around but I'm not fast enough. Something hits my head. Everything goes black.


	4. Judgement

Chapter IV.

I wake up. My eyes slowly start to come into focus, when I realize I'm in a court. I could hear lots of people yelling at me. My hands are tied behind my back. My back is killing me and so are my sides. My hand still hurts from grabbing the knife before and I'm pretty sure its cut open bad…But my head hurts more.

The courtroom was big. I look up to see the judge, who looked like a psychopath. I was more than definitely going to get death. We heard about this court and how people were either exiled or they were killed. I heard exile was worse and the judge never ruled in anyone's favor. Now here I am at my own mock trial.

"She stabbed and fought six of my men" I heard a voice say. I recognized that voice. That was the long haired man's voice. When my eyes are fully focused, my mouth drops open. It's him…the terrorist, the man with the strange looking mask. I try to regain composure but he's so big too big. The six men I took out well that doesn't compare. I may have some trouble with this one.

The masked man looks at me. I look back trying not to show any emotion but in all honesty I was afraid. He could crush my trachea in a minute. This man was very smart too, no matter what I wouldn't be able to get around him. He was going to kill me. I stabbed six of his men and fought them. I was done.

I'm not going to cry. You tried everything you could I say to myself. Jen was right I should have stayed home, I should have never left. My family will never know what happened and I'll be dead. I let out a deep breath waiting for my demise. The man with the long hair was standing over me, going on about how I beat them.

"THIS bitch!" he kicks me in the stomach. Everybody cheers for my demise. I try not to cry but it's so hard that I feel like I'm going to pass out. Their leader, the man with the mask, looks at me in a strange way I didn't understand. Did he feel sorry?

The judge uses his grovel. "Order in the court!" the crazed man said. "Sit her up please!" I felt hands hold me up but I could barely focus. My face felt bruised and everything hurt even more in this position. "Now ms….What's your name?" He asked, making a poor attempt to sounding like he cared. "Jen" I say. No way in hell would I give him my real name? Apparently I said it too low because another guy hit me in the stomach. I could hear people cheering but I knew I would pass out soon. "Jen" I yell louder.

"Jen what?" he pushed. "Smith, Jen Smith" I cried out. It wasn't too original but hey it was enough to protect my family. "Ahh Jen smith, you stabbed and fought six men" he said. I wanted to laugh; if I was one of them I wouldn't have a public display of it. "No I didn't" I lie; this wasn't exactly the type of court I would tell the truth. "In fact do you have any applicable evidence-?" I asked. "uhh-" he began. "And even in a mock trial as this you're going by what's hearsay?" "well-uh" "And shouldn't I at least be judged by a jury of my peers…" I continue to say. I had no Idea where this getting me but it was buying some time. "And sir how could I possibly take out six full grown men, I do not have the strength…I mean seriously" I say, every word is taking life out of me. I wanted to pass out. Everyone started talking loudly; they could be changing their opinions.

The crazed man gives me an apathetic look. He didn't care, no one did, they just wanted me punished. "Ms. Smith I am the judge and this is not a state court anymore" he said as he pounded his grovel on desk. "No shit" I say in a very condescending way. Someone hit me across the face; I felt blood trickle down my lip. He raised his voice and continued as if I didn't interrupt him. "And based on your actions you are sentenced to either exile or death. Would anyone speak on her behalf?" he said, sounding amused. I heard people cheer but then they all stopped, when he…the man in the mask walked forward. He held out a hand to the crazed judge.

"So you let this rather fragile girl take out six of our men, instead of finding any detectives" the man with the mask spoke to the long haired guy that was holding me up. He sounded like he was an older man, although he didn't look it at all. He grabbed the man's throat and held him up. He made it look so easy. The man with the mask looked over at me. I heard a crack and a moment later the man was gone. He did in fact crush a full grown man's trachea. I didn't dare smile but I wanted too. At the same time, I was way too confused, was he going to do the same to me?

"Boss!" another man stepped forward. It's the guy with the broken nose. I heard people laughing and cheering for the man with the mask. In fact even he laughed, which surprised me. I looked over to see a couple of the wounded men I…. well wounded, who were the plaintiffs in my trial. "You all look weak" He laughed at them. More cheers from the crowd. He nodded to a few of his other men.

"What? NO!" The men I wounded said. "Please! Boss No!" One of the wounded men said. A swarm of the other men with machine guns led them out. Then he turned his attention to me and squatted down. "I'm sorry my men have no manors when it comes to civilians" He said in a comforting tone.

I didn't know how to answer so I just nodded. I mean was this guy being nice or was it sarcasm? "Boss what are we going to do with her, she's hurt our men" one of his guards walked forward. He looked at me with those eyes, the eyes I couldn't read. The ones that I was most sure were going to end my life.

"Bring her with us; I need some intelligent conversation around here". What did that mean? Why did he think I was intelligent? Then I remembered all the stuff I just said. It was stupid for me to be smart; I needed them to think I was stupid.

He looked at me again in a strange way; it was like he was remembering something or maybe someone. I took a deep breath. Maybe he wants me to feel like this. Maybe he wants me to enjoy the last few moment s of my life.

The man with the mask turned around and walked out of the courtroom. I was dragged into some sort of vehicle. Actually I was thrown, and I hit my head. Maybe I was going to be his personal punching bag. Maybe he was going to let the other men rape me. I take another breath and then slowly I start to fall asleep.


	5. Change

Chapter V.

I wake up again and I don't know how long I was out. I see him again, the man with the mask is working or planning more destruction of the city or planning my destruction for fun, possibly. My hands were tied behind my back to a post. At least I was in a sitting position so I didn't have to stand. I look over to get a better view of my surroundings. There was a waterway on the side most likely a sewer. Were we underground? I look up to see I giant hole in the ceiling which looked like it entered some expensive room. People were taking stuff out of it, most likely artillery.

When I finally looked back, he was staring. He got still holding his stare as I held mine and picked up a book. "What's your name?" he asks. I'm reluctant to say but if I don't answer he'll kill me. Give him a fake one, I say to myself. "Jen" I said nonchalantly. He laughed. "No, I need your real name" he asked sternly. "Jessica" I said immediately. I lied again. "It's not good to lie, your real name what is it child?" he asked me. Child? Really? I just wanted to tell him I was twenty three. "Jamie" I said, in a defeated tone while looking down.

"Ahh that's your real name, the truth so easy yet so hard for everyone but I could understand why you wouldn't want to give me your name" he says. His tone matches my father's, almost like he's telling me what's right and wrong. I'm pissed, normally I could lie through my teeth but him and his men didn't believe any word. I barely made any subtle movements, how could they know that I was lying? "So what's your name?" I ask in a cocky tone, before I could really think about what I was asking. Shit, now he's going to crush my larynx…I needed to stay level headed.

He surveyed me again for a minute and folds his arms. "You're a quick one aren't you?" he asks. I don't want to say yes. My thoughts reprocess, make them think you're stupid I say again to myself. "Not quick enough apparently" I say sounding angry with myself because in reality I was. I thought I could lie, but I couldn't, and I couldn't even fight my way out. I couldn't do anything.

"You're still alive when not only are you shorter than the average female, but you also are below in weight" What the hell did that mean? Was he giving me compliments or saying he would look at me like everyone else? And therefore kill me like everyone else? He was smarter than I thought. And he still had not given me his name.

"You're also pretty quick" I say. Just the slightest hint of sarcasm was in my voice. I couldn't be too sarcastic although for some reason it seemed he enjoyed it. Either way I wasn't going to be overly sarcastic…it may end up in me being hung up by my thumbs.

"You're right indeed" he tells me. Although I couldn't see his mouth, I'm pretty sure he was laughing. I smile trying to show him I had really said it with the best intentions, although I was really saying I know what I'm up against.

"Jamie, explain to me how you defeated my men, there's always room for improvement" he asks me while he looks at his second in command. He was another small skinny man wearing a vest and holding a machine gun. When the man in the mask looked at him, he smiled. I'm sure his second in command was probably a bit wittier than the others and on a different level with him. All the other men looked like they were about to die.

I wasn't quite sure what he was asking. But I freaked out a little, silently on the inside. I'm pretty sure he knew that too. "well I needed to get my friend medication and we were hungry and then we ran into your guys at the store and they were high and attacked me and then I attacked them and ran away….and then your other guys came and stopped me and were going to let me go but the high guys caught up and then I tried to ran away but then I couldn't…and um yep" I tried to say that slow but I'm pretty sure it was fast and gave to the fact that I was intimidated by him. This was the first time I had been intimidated of anyone, even the joker looked good about now. I wasn't scared…okay I was slightly scared.

"I didn't ask why…I asked how…how did you attack them?" he asked me, I could hear the slightest hint of amusement in his voice. "With a knife" I said defeated. Great that's probably how I will die. "Not just with a knife, you don't defeat six trained killers with a knife, what are your skills" he asked me. I wasn't sure what he was getting at. Maybe I pissed him off enough he really wanted to go all out. "Krav maga and ba gua zhang" I said. I didn't need to add that I had been practicing for years.

"Those are two opposites" he said, almost sounding amused again. Apparently, I was just a joke to him. "Yea…I like them" I smile trying ignore the fact that I was having a normal conversation with the masked man who still hadn't given me his name. I refrained from saying Liked them. The man with the mask studied me for a moment.

He just stared…silently. "Do you practice any martial arts?" I ask. It was sort of a dumb question, I mean he didn't need to practice he just had to crush people. The man in the mask put down his pen and stared at his paper for a moment, deciding…something. He looked back up.

"Did you ever hear of the mythical league of shadows?" he asks me. This feels like a test but I know exactly what they are. The myth of the best fighters in the world, they didn't exist…because if they did I would have joined already. I laugh, "Yea if only they were real, they're believed to be the best fighters in the world" I say. Silence again, as if I was offending him. "They are…I am the league of shadows" is what he said.

It took me a moment to figure out. He was saying they were real, and implying that he was part of them or just them in one entity. "No way" I say, actually sounding innocent. I though more about his comment, was this a threat? I decide to change the subject. He just stayed silent, probably not understanding an American girl's reaction. "That's cool I like ninjutsu" I say trying not to roll my eyes at myself for sounding so innocuous. I was really screwed not only was this man bigger than me he was smarter, stronger, and had more fighting experience.

"So does it hurt?" I regain my confidence and decide to ask him questions. "Your injuries, under the mask, does it hurt?" I ask him, which he seemed surprised, everyone was curious though. He seemed not too keen on telling me how his mask worked or why he had to wear it. His men looked very scared for me at the moment. Maybe no one brought much attention to it but if I was going to die I may as well satisfy my curiosity. "It was very painful yes, but now I'm impervious to pain" He states, simply.

"How do you eat?" I ask pushing further. I wondered if he was getting annoyed with the questions but hey what the hell I thought. I smile trying to look innocuous as possible but he knew better. "You ask a lot of questions don't you?" he asks me. This was not a question though; this was a warning for me to shut up. These questions would be very useful especially to batman, if only he was here. But he left us, like I should have left a long time ago.

"Sorry" I say immediately. He just stares at me some more trying to figure me out. "There is nothing wrong with asking questions, you just have to ask the right ones" he tells me. "Oh okay" I said trying to again sound innocuous. "You shouldn't act incompetent Jamie Grayson, masters Student of Gotham University" he tells me.

"How?-" I begin to ask. "How did we know?" he asks me amused again. Shit, he had my phone, of course which means he had my file, he knew my family's name, and he knew more. I gulped hoping he wouldn't notice. "Never mind" I say looking down at my feet. Of course, he had access everywhere, I'm sure he just had to look in the right place. Why did he care about me?

The man in the mask laughed. "Why am I here?" I finally come out and ask. He eyes me for a second and then answers. "You are here because I need to see how an ordinary citizen is reacting under my regime, and if and anytime you escape we will kill you and your family" He said in a very nice way. It was very strange. I wasn't going to give in. I was going to stay calm. "Okay" I said calmly.

"Now Jamie…" the man with mask started. Great more questions, or more axioms or maybe this time he would tell me how I will die or just kill me. "I'm curious, why didn't you kill any of my men?" he asked me. His eyes told me he was pissed I asked something so personal; this was his way of getting back. I didn't let it affect me. "Killing is wrong" I tell him. "Ahh is it now, but stabbing a man three times in the chest and possibly injuring him for the rest of his life is not?" He asked me. Why were we having this conversation now? I mean I had just woken up from passing out.

"I guess not" I say defeated. I wasn't any better, I did in fact stab a man three times in his chest, how was that any better than killing him. He laughed again. I was just full of jokes for him. "OH changing your mind?" he joked. "No killing is bad, yea I may have cut a few tendons but I figured it was a fair exchange, I was fighting for my life" I said.

"Yes the fight for your life…so instead of killing a man and insuring your safety, you decide to cripple a man and shove him in a corner for the rest of his life" He told me, it was like I was getting a lecture. "And yet you consider yourself a better person than the average killer?" he taunted. "Well since I didn't kill anyone I can't really compare myself to the average killer" I say smartly.

He slammed his book. I really had pissed him off. Maybe he would kill me with the book. He got up and hovered over me. He grabbed my face by my chin to make me look directly into his eyes. My neck felt like it was going to break. It was also another warning, but I didn't care I knew I would die anyways. "You're very smart aren't you? Second in your class…but like every citizen of Gotham You fail to understand that every crime no matter how minimal is tantamount to each other…Killing is just another way to rid this world of destruction," he says. "You are no better than me" he says, and then dropped my face rather harshly from his hold. I stretched my jaw which could have easily have been broken.

In a way he was right killing would rid this world from destruction. Had I killed them, I wouldn't be here…and the world would be safer from more street thugs. "You're right…" I began to say, his back is turned to me. "About the part where killing is the way to rid the worlds destruction" that's all I said. He turned his head at me knowing what I had meant because to me stealing a purse and killing a person were not the same but killing someone for being a killer, made more sense. He turned his head back and walked away; I heard a grunt and smiled slightly. He sat down going back to his work. I take a deep breath, I'm still alive.

He sat down for two hours, occasionally glancing over. His men were here and there doing work. I was bored out of my mind but at the same time I had anticipation that every moment would be my last. My head felt dizzy and my hand was killing. I could feel my blood trickle down hand, and I knew that I had lost a lot of it. Maybe they're planning on me bleeding to death. I would rather choose this way because then I would pass out.

"What do you think about Gotham being destroyed?" he suddenly asked. I started screaming in the inside. The questions were getting more difficult. This felt more like an interrogation and I wanted to scream out loud, except I was stuck here, underground…with one of the strongest smartest killers. His face and the face of his men would most likely be the last thing I would see. Except in a way I had already expected I would not have the greatest images before I die. Although at this point I could at least tell this man, who made Gotham more entropic and more ruthless, what I really thought.

"I think that you want to give us hope, by telling us that one of us has the detonator and that we could stop it, but not everyone is that stupid...you've already made up your mind, you want us to die to be punished and to make a statement…" I let my words trail off. He wanted to say something but I didn't let him, I was too angry and scared. "But what you don't know is that some of us already lost hope, we've already prepared ourselves…I have at least" I took a breather but he did not say anything but I knew he wanted. "Look I don't know much about you but I know you're smart and you're ruthless which I envy, because every day I woke up since I was a child wishing I could do the same but I can't not in the same way you could…and even with all that power and knowledge the best idea you have come up with is destruction" I say not stopping. "Even after Gotham is destroyed nothing will have changed because nothing ever changes" I say and then stop and put my head down. "We'll all be some paragraph in a history book and some mortality number, but we'll go on to kill each other because that is just what we do, that is what the league of shadows does" I glance at him and then put my head down waiting to die.

"Get out" I heard him say real loud. I look up to see his eyes not cold but not angry more like impressed. "You've heard him!" I heard the guard say. "Not her! You three" He pointed to the guards and his second in command. This was it I told myself. I'm ready, he's going to kill me but I knew he would. I hope it's fast but I know it won't be. I try not to cry, not to think of how broken I was or how I could have lived a normal life. But I never had wanted that. That's why I took the risks, no matter how afraid I was. I wanted to feel like I could do something.

I didn't want to look up because I didn't want him to see the tears forming under my eyes. I felt so weak and I would die this way knowing my weaknesses got the best of me. At least my black stringy hair covered my face. My heart was beating fast though as much as I tried to stay so composed. My wounded hand was dripping more blood and I started to feel light headed. If I was lucky I would pass out before he killed me.

I heard him walking counting every step though he was still very close. Then he stopped. This is it, I say. It was hard to lift my face up but I didn't need too when I felt his hand gently under my chin. If I moved my neck would probably break though. He squatted down to my level and tipped up my face, forcing me to stare straight into his eyes. "You're right, about everything, but what you don't understand is that killing everyone will send a message to further along humanity progression" he says, as he puts my long black hair behind my ear.

"Humanity progression is an oxymoron" I say. "I failed, we all did" I tell him. "You are never a failure if you try and you will succeed one day, but you are not ready…" He tells me, again it's like my dad is speaking to me. I don't understand what that means…there won't be a one day. "And you're wrong" I give him a confused look. "For someone so young you should at least have some hope….I have hope that once Gotham crumbles this will be a lesson that push humanity to the next stage" he tells me, as he puts his hands on my shoulders. It was rather unnerving but at the same time I didn't feel like he would kill me.

I'm confused by what he is saying I don't know whether he means I'm dying or I'm living. "You'll succeed one day, but you're not ready" I replay those words in my head. Maybe he was trying to poison my soul by thinking I had a day to live but I didn't believe it. I was starting to feel light headed even more and I could feel my hand bleed even more. I was losing a lot of blood.

"If I live how will I succeed? What do I do?" I say, my eyes start to lose focus. "You kill what gets in your way, no matter who it is" he says, and before I can retort my eyes are forced to close. Darkness swept me.

I wake up to see with the man in the mask still working on his computer. How long did he plan to keep me here? Then I realized my hand had been bandaged. I also felt better, full in fact. I look over to see a tube set up in my arm. Were they drugging me?

"It's a feeding tube, you're underweight" the man in the mask explains. He nods to one of his guards to come over by me and the guard gives me a drink. "Thanks" I tell the guard. Not like he cared.

I didn't say much of anything; I just waited to be questioned. He could have killed me with all the stuff I said. I just really didn't feel like talking, but I knew my questioning would come soon.

"Not voluble today?" the man with the man asked me. It was another day. I stayed alive a whole day with the man with the mask. I wanted a trophy, even Jen would be proud. Oh shit! Jen I hope she was alright, she was so sick.

"I don't like your judge" I joked. He surprisingly laughed at this. "Oh Dr. Crane?" he asked me. "That man's a doctor? Well the world really is doomed" I laugh. He seems to agree which is odd. "I mean even that guy would be better" I said as I lifted my face up. I could hear him laugh. It was like we were friends joking about something.

The man with the mask got up and gave a piece of equipment to his right hand man. "You all need to go now" he said. I could tell they were all afraid but they all did what was asked of them. They left to go somewhere, probably to blow up something else.

We were alone now, so I decided to ask him about his mask. Maybe he would answer knowing no one else was there. "So the mask…what are your injuries like?" I ask again. I didn't mean to be rude but I really wanted to know. His back was turned when I asked. He quickly turned around and gave me a very incriminating look. "If you don't mind me asking" I asked him. I grinded my teeth a bit not sure if I had asked the right questions.

He got up and put a book away. His back was turned again. "It was a very painful time….my mouth was crushed as were all of my teeth. Part of my face was torn away…there weren 't surgeons" He said. I actually started to feel a little bad. Just a little, he had killed so many. "How did it happen?" I asked him, pushing the topic further. "Enough questions, you already know too much" he explained.

Then he sat down working on something. "So that's why you feel so strongly about not killing someone, because of everything you had to go through" I said. He stomped over by me and gave me a death stare. Oddly I wasn't scared. I knew now, A man like this did not get an injury unless he was helping someone. "You did this for someone didn't you?" I continue to ask. He looks at me with those eyes; I could tell he was upset.

"I know it doesn't mean anything to you but I'm sorry" Is how I replied to his silence, but oddly he answered me. "You did not do this, I did by not killing…and that's what can happen to you" he said. I wanted to scream at him, what did he mean by all of this? "That's what will happen to me! You're going to kill me anyways, and I've done nothing to you! Look I'm sorry, I'm sorry on behalf of the people of Gotham , I'm sorry for who did this to you, I'm sorry for hurting your men, I'm sorry for everyone, and yes I know it's not all my fault and I don't need to take responsibility but as you so blatantly stated as all crimes are tantamount to each other that includes mine!" I yell at him. "So kill me, do it, as the citizen that's speaking for all of the citizens of Gotham get your revenge, take my face, c'mon!" I yell. At this point I'm crying but it's out of anger.

I thought he was going to hit me or kill me but he didn't he just untied my hands. I didn't move. "You're different from the others…" he asked. "How am I different! " I continue crying because I understand what he means; I have the capability to do what the league of shadows does. "You understand what needs to be done" he said to me. In a way I understood him on a level that I guess most people wouldn't. I didn't say anything I just sat there. He had his back turned.

I looked at him and noticed he didn't move but his left arm was shaking. "hey!" I said. When I called out I realized he was going into cardiac arrest. I had been an volunteer Emt for years before I transferred to GU, so I knew what all the signs were. He caught himself falling and I ran to him. "hey!" I yelled at him again. "What do I need to do?" I asked him. He did not answer. I looked around his working area for medication. Adrenaline...I look over and find a great amount of health supplies set up in a jour. I found the bottle that said Adrenaline…why he had this I didn't want to know but it was about to save his life. I found a syringe and filled it to the correct amount. It was a fifty, fifty shot…I was taking a chance.

The man with the mask was on the ground. I injected the shot into his neck. Why am I saving the man who killed so many? Why did I care? There was something wrong about just leaving him to die, maybe my act of compassion would make him change his mind. Whether he was wrong or not I needed to help him because in a way I liked him how I liked my father. It was strange, and it wasn't Stockholm syndrome, I just felt he was right.

There were thousands of criminals in Gotham now who were now free because of Harvey Dent's actions and the actions of the chief of police. You couldn't build a world without criminals based on a lie. The best thing to do was to eliminate them. I didn't agree that innocent people should suffer, but I agreed that the criminals would die at least. Either way I had a certain level of respect, and I had a feeling it wasn't just him involved in this whole plan to consume Gotham. So while I had a few seconds to think rationally, I decided to do the irrational thing and helped him. He wasn't exactly a good person, he wasn't someone I was deeply affectionate for, he was just someone who I believed at least deserved the dignity of someone helping him. As no one ever helped this man sees how it would affect him. He may not be affected at all but it was worth the risk, to see if I could make him see things my way. Killing criminals was right but killing innocent people wasn't. Having compassion for the good but not for the guilty was right. I was taking a risk by not letting him die, but we understood each other on a level other people didn't. He…well he was my friend.

I could feel his heart stop as he went limp. I tried to press on his heart but it was enough. I punched his chest and I kept pounding until finally I heard a breath. His eyes shot open and I could tell he was disoriented. I set up fluids and adjusted his head. He was lying flat on the ground, until he started to get up. He was still disoriented. "Hey! You can't get up yet" I told him. He sat up anyway, with sweat dripping down his face. I went to feel for his blood pressure but he grabbed my arm. This was the first time I had really felt his strength he could have crushed it.

He looked in straight in my eyes as I kneeled before him. "Compassion will get you killed" is what he said. "Then why am I alive?" I asked slowly. He did not take his eyes off mine, and before I knew it a syringe was injected in to me. My body started to go limp it was taking a slow time to go through my system. I tried to get up but I fell. This was it; this was how he was going to kill me…

He got up a caught me in his arms for my last moments and laid me down on the ground. The man, who I tried to save, tried to see my ideals would never see it my way. He didn't have any compassion for me or the good. "You're alive because you need to be". I gave him a confused look. "And because you will be better than what I could be" he said. I had no idea what he was saying. I didn't understand because I didn't believe in everything he did.

But in an instant in my last moments I figured it out. If I lived I would do what he could never do kill who I need too, and save for I couldn't. He knew he could not change, but he knew I still had the capabilities of changing the world without burning it to the ground. He would never change his mind but I could do what was wrong and what was right. I just needed to know one last thing, one question that was beckoning me… "Can't I at least know your name?" I say sleepily. I could see through his eyes and his cheekbones he was smiling. "Bane" he says putting that unruly strand of hair behind my ear for what I felt was the last time. My eyes close and once again darkness swept me.


	6. Beginning

Chapter VI.

I wake up and I'm on a boat, on a cot outside. It's night time and I can't tell where we are. I look over to see five men, who are watching me. I get up and look over to the side. I feel like I am going to fall over but I am able to catch myself and sit on the portside of the boat.

One of the men gets up from eating an apple. "So you're a recruit?" he says. "Recruit?" I insinuate but I have no Idea what he means. "Bane chose us and you for the league of shadows" he said. "Although you don't really fit the criteria" he said. The man looked me up down, smiling. He was pretty grotesque in appearance.

I did the same to him, stopping at his pants. "Neither do you" I say as I met eye contact. A couple of his friends laughed at what I said. It was a small boat so it was easy to hear what we were saying. He laughed but I could tell he was angry. I smirked at his stupidity. Then he struck me across the face, so I kicked him instantly.

When I got up to go after him, I was stopped by Bane's right hand man. "You two wait until we get to the island!" he yelled. "You come with me" he said. I did as I was told and followed him to a chamber. "Bane gave me special instructions for you" he told me. There was a smaller laptop and a letter with a bag.

"You need to give me a password when you're done" he says but he doesn't say anything else. "Wait!" I try to stop him from closing the door but he locks me in. I take a deep breath and open the computer to see my file, in multiple databases.

I quickly tear open the letter. It's from Bane. "

Jamie,

Once you are done reading this you will be given the option to destroy your file in every database that had you listed, should you choose to delete yourself from every database you will be given the chance to be a member of the league of shadows. All you have to do is press enter. Once the program deletes you a password will pop up. You will give that password to my men in order to be released from the room, should you not there is a syringe in the bag-inject yourself and get off at the next port when you wake up.

You will also find something else in the bag, it belong to someone I protected. They're warrior beads from made from the purest stone and the strongest string. They can be used as a weapon. I will be dead by the time you get this and just know that once you become a member of the league of shadows you will leave the life you once knew your friends and your family. Your end will be the same as the men you try to protect the world from. You will become something more than just a person; you will find what you have lost.

You've reminded me greatly of an old friend, a friend who never gave me the truth. People pretend that they will love you, and after some time even pretending is enough for you to never feel the difference. No matter what you choose, thank you my friend for the truth.

Bane

Ps. the league is in your hands now.

I pulled out the beads, to find black lapis lazuli beads- there was something written on them I couldn't read. They were beautiful and I put them around my neck. I looked at the computer screen and sat there for two hours thinking about all that I would give up. My friends I would never see again but most importantly my family. But If I could help the world by doing what no one else could I should. That was more important than my family. I loved them but if I never went through with this I would regret it and not be able to live with it. I would make the league better; attack the guilty and leave the good alone, even if they got in the way. We would be smarter…we would be better. Bane knew that, that's what he saw in me.

I press delete. I'm deleted off the face of the earth. The password finally comes up "Apple". I smile, I knew what it meant. I wasn't biting the apple I was indemnifying it, I would try to help humanity by restoring it. I'm no god I told myself, but I can do what's necessary.

I get up and knock on the door. "APPLE!" I shout out. Someone opens the door but I am greeted not by man but with someone covering my head, my hands are not tied but I am carried to some location.

After what seemed at least a couple hours, someone took the mask off. I am forced to kneel down on a rocky cold surface, and it looks like we are on a mountain. It's very cold, but very beautiful. I look over to see the man that insulted me tied up and gagged. There are men behind him. A gun lies on the snowy ground beside them. Two other men were tied up and gagged. I was not and neither were a few others. We were all lined up and the men who were tied up were facing us. They were also forced to kneel as we were.

A man walks forward; he's wearing a mask. He stops and stares at me from what I could tell. "Why are you here?" He asks all of us. I don't answer but some of us do. "So you three want to join the league of shadows …to kill people?" I decide to answer this one. "No for humanity progression" I say I smile slightly. The man with the mask walks forward but does not lose eye contact for me. The way his head moved, I think he was surprised. "These men have committed crimes, they have raped and killed and probably will do it again…now who are you?" the man asked us but it was more directed toward me.

I get up which seems to surprise everyone. I pick up the gun and cock the trigger back but before I do I needed to make sure. I pull back the gag off the man who insulted me. "Did you?" I ask the man. He smiles. "Yes and I loved every minute!" he spits at me. I smile back and then slowly my face becomes apathetic as I point the gun to him. "I'm the league of shadows" I say monotone. "No, please!" The man begs. I shoot the gun and moment later he's out.

I walked past the man's body and handed the gun to the mask man. He took off his mask. The man was about my age perhaps even older, he had a kind of familiarity to him, his eyes… "My father told me about you" he said. He glances at my necklace and then looked at me. He was smiling, only slightly but I was confused. Who was his father? "I'm Banes son". I stood there is disbelief, but at the same time I knew Bane didn't tell me everything. "Welcome to the league of shadows" he said. I smiled only slightly and walked forward.


End file.
